This invention relates to cook-in cartons, and more particularly to an improved integral support structure for such a carton.
It is a known advantage to provide openings in cook-in cartons to facilitate venting and heating of the contents, especially in microwave ovens, as well as in conventional ovens. It is, of course, to be recognized that it is not desirable to subject all foods to the type of heating encountered in ovens. It is desirable, for example, to prepare frozen vegetables by subjecting them to steam. It is not always convenient to steam the vegetables in presently available, vented cook-in cartons. In preparing foods in this manner it is a preferred practice to rest the vented carton, by means of suitable support structure such as legs thereon, on the bottom of a closed pan in which boiling water is maintained at a level partially immersing the legs and spaced from the bottom wall of the carton. The legs are, however, usually comprised of but a single layer of paperboard which when subjected to the boiling water tend to collapse, undesirably immersing at least part of the carton and its contents. A carton of the hereinabove generally described type, and adapted primarily for use in microwave ovens, is disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,948, issued June 27, 1978, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
It is a general objective of the present invention to provide a cook-in carton with improved integral support leg structure characterized by its rigidity over a wide range of cooking conditions.
It is a further objective of the invention to provide an improved cook-in carton that facilitates steaming of its contents without damage to the carton.